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Falern Arbor
Falern Arbor is a province in the Olian Peninsula north of the city of New Oli'us, the region is famous for its vineyards and unnaturally warm climate. It is mainly populated by elf families with a minority of halflings also present. History Halfling Kingdom Before the region came under the dominion of Quel'Doran, the Falern region was populated almost exclusively by halflings that lived in structures built into the many hills that roll throughout the region. These halflings were ruled by a king though the actual need for a ruler had seldom arisen in the hundreds of years since the dynasty was founded. This period is regarded as being remarkably peaceful with only a few instances of barbarian attacks or monsters destroying crops. Quel'Doran Conquering As the Quel'Doran Empire began to expand northward from the current site of New Oli'us they encountered various barbarian tribes that resisted them, upon reaching the Arbor the Legions encountered no armed forces amongst the halflings and used the region to launch attacks upon the barbarians. The halflings found the elves to be an annoyance with many petitioning their king-turned-farmer to remove these invaders on from their home. The king entered negotiations with the elves though his lack of experience greatly diminished the effectiveness of the talks, with the end result being that the Legions would move on but in the future the people of Quel'Doran would be allowed to retire to the region to share in its pleasant climate. Soon after hundreds of elf settlers came into the area, many of whom were veterans from the Legions. These elves began to buy up much of the land and that which was unclaimed by anyone in particular beyond the king who raised the issue to the Quel'Doran Senate who voted to simply annex the region and prevent any more difficulties for elves and halflings in the region. Recent History Falern is currently one of the most desirable retirement locations for Legionnaires to settle, though parts of the region are no longer being given as payment for soldiers and other locations are being sought. Many of the families in the Arbor have connections to various crime organisations in the region and in the Empire as a whole. Society Towns and Families Towns in the Falern region are usually dominated by one or more families descended from one individual who took the name of the town as their own, adding the prefix en' to the town's name. These families will often have criminal connections and run the settlement like their very own fiefdoms with most having rival families nearby that seek to move into or protect their territory claims. The Vineyards Sprawling over the hills of Falern are miles and miles of vineyards where the region's famous wine is grown and brewed. These vineyards are the largest source of employment for the region, with the halflings in the region making up the majority of the workers in this industry. The Halflings The halflings in Falern suffered greatly during the reign of the vampires of Quel'Doran with many living in fear that they would be snatched from their homes in the middle of the night. This association with the vampirism and the elves stuck for many years until the Long Night when it was the local elf families that had long been seen as criminals that rallied to protect the inhabitants of the Arbor. One tale in particular is told of a halfling man and his family huddling together in fear in their home, terrified of the vampires outside when an elf kicked in their door holding a hand out to them declaring; "I breath and I bleed, I am not one of them...". Halflings have since come to become more integrated into the towns and villages though usually where the laws of Quel'Doran are seldom observed by the ruling family. Economy Shipments Falern is connected to New Oli'us by a well patrolled road where casks of wine are sent year round on to the rest of the empire and the world. These shipments often have to bride officials and pay for protection by families as they travel through towns, usually the safest part of a caravan's route. The Yava fruit The yava ''fruit is one of Quel'Doran's most delicious exports, a most curious fruit that can be treated like various types of fruit to produce different results. One can pick the fruit before it grows beyond the size of a grape to produce wine or allow it to swell into a gourd and squeeze it for its juice. Usually they are plucked from the vine somewhere between those two stages, producing a fist sized fruit that stays fresh for months. Its skin can even be dried into flakes and made into tea. Another use, though it is illegal almost everywhere, is growing a ''yava plant with a drop of blood covering the seed, when the plant grows the fruit produced creates hallucinogenic effects or if pressed into wine, a muscle relaxant that causes lucid dreaming, the intensity of the effects and the exact nature of the images seen is based on the race, age and gender of the blood's owner. The popularity of the fruit and the potential for misuse has led to heavy restrictions by Quel'Doran which has led to a rise in corruption amongst such authorities. Smuggling of blood yava is prevalent in Falern Arbor. Category:Location Category:Etan Category:Halfling Category:Quel'Doran Empire